the lonely dolphin
by jadedbunny
Summary: It was a game neither of them wanted to play. (Rating will go up after chapter 2.)


Here's another SouHaru fic with side MakoRin.

Also, I will not be posting any fics on Tumblr anymore. I've given up on that site.

Disclaimer: Free! Eternal Summer is not mine.

* * *

><p>There was a newly opened cafe nearby Samezuka dorm, and Rin had called everyone to know who wanted to tag along. Haru wanted to come. But it's not like he was a coffee junkie. He heard from Rin that there was a cozy lounge in that cafe for music lovers, and he wanted to share the experience with them.<p>

"Sorry, we're late!" Makoto was huffing when he arrived. Rin stopped rummaging through the songs on the pod installed on the table and waved happily at him. Makoto placed a kiss on Rin's forehead, which earned a giggle from the redhead.

"Hah, did Haru overbathe again?" Rin smirked when Haru peeked from behind Makoto.

"Yo, Haru!" Haru merely frowned at Rin.

Makoto already settled himself beside Rin while Haru still looked around the place. The music lounge was isolated from the rest. He wondered if Rin had to make a reservation. Rin said it opened just last week, so it would be around six to seven days since it had been opened to the public. There weren't many people, though.

"How do you like the place, Haru?" Makoto was smiling sincerely at him, but he knew he didn't have his full attention on him. Makoto was holding Rin's hand in between the couch. Makoto had probably been here once, now the second time. His question gave it away. He didn't really mind Makoto hanging out with Rin and without him. It was his best friend's right to be alone with Rin every once in a while.

Haru, although he really didn't mind, appreciated the effort of the couple not making him feel like he was a third wheel. Technically he was, but at least they weren't as insensitive.

"It's nice." Haru said, while looking at the huge painting beside the cafe's door. It was a mermaid behind a medium-sized rock, blissfully looking at the two kids playing along the seashore. He went to where the painting was situated. The two kids reminded him of Makoto and Rin. And the mermaid reminded him of himself. Alone, but happy. Or was it happy, but alone?

But if the mermaid was indeed alone but happy, why did she have to leave her home and go people-seeing?

The sound of the trinkets above the cafe's door, an indication that someone entered the cafe, had interrupted his thoughts.

Sousuke stood before him, and for a second he looked as if he was about to greet him. But Sousuke just looked at him for a moment and went past him. Haru returned the glance. He saw Sousuke wave his hand dismissively at the couple on the couch.

"Ossu."

He wondered if Sousuke felt the same whenever he looked at Makoto and Rin.

.

.

.

.

.

"Stop being so gross, ugh." Sousuke didn't dare hold back his words when Rin shoved a spoonful of chocolate cake into Makoto's mouth, which the olive-haired man accepted with delight.

"Sousuke, just shut up and eat your cake."

Haru looked at Makoto and Rin. Their relationship as boyfriends was indeed young, but never did it occur to Haru that he would see them like this. Had they tried so hard to keep their hands off each other while he was there with them? So he wouldn't feel alone, until Sousuke came? Haru was left amused by the thought which made him chuckle quietly.

"Nanase, did you just laugh at me?" There was amusement in Sousuke's tone.

Haru's eyebrows creased. "Is that what you think?"

"Am I correct?"

"I don't know."

"Humor me." Sousuke said while sipping from a cup of coffee.

"I'm not in the mood for argument."

"Um, guys…" Makoto interrupted them.

"I'm going out for a bit." Haru stood up and went outside.

"Same." Sousuke followed suit, and the two were gone in an instant.

"Eh?! Did they just walk out on us?" Makoto asked worriedly as he followed them with his gaze.

"Maybe?" Rin laughed. "They can't stand us being all lovey-dovey."

.

.

.

.

.

Haru understood why Rin felt all peaceful at the music lounge, and that it'd be his haven after a tiring day at school. He could imagine his friend even falling asleep on the couch while listening to music. But breathing in fresh air was so much better for him. He sat on the edge of a cemented platform near the cafe. And he knew that right after he sat, a certain Yamazaki Sousuke would be following him shortly.

"So," Haru initiated, "why did you follow me?"

"Don't flatter yourself. I'm just here because those two gross me out." Sousuke leaned on the elevated wooden stairs before the platform.

"Huh?"

"You heard me."

"You're not in love with Rin, are you?"

Sousuke sputtered. "No damn way. What made you say that?"

"Nothing."

"I don't fancy dating a childhood friend. I know Rin from head to toe."

"Makoto is the same with me."

"See?" Sousuke paused for a moment, and continued, "but I thought you were dating Tachibana before."

Haru snorted. "Makoto likes puzzles." He looked up to the sky, suddenly remembering the times he and Makoto solved puzzles and mysteries in the games they played. "There's no mystery in going out with your best friend."

"Huh, that sounded depressing."

"I didn't mean it that way."

"So you didn't come out here because they grossed you out?"

"Never," Haru looked at Sousuke. "You say those words a lot."

"I just don't see the purpose of dating. I could roll my eyes at every couple I see if I wanted to."

"You'll die alone, Yamazaki," Haru blurted out.

"Fine by me. It's the ultimate effect of being single for the rest of my life and I'd gladly accept it." Sousuke stared at Haru when he didn't reply, eyes fixated on the ground.

"Doesn't seem like you're the romantic type either."

"Yeah, but I haven't thought about it," Haru lied.

"You don't really have to think about it. You just feel it." Sousuke paused.

"Like simple attraction."

Haru didn't know how their simple conversation escalated to this, and although Sousuke was obviously not interested in couples, this kind of topic didn't make him uncomfortable. In fact, Sousuke welcomed it.

"Simple attraction?" It was enough to lift his gaze from the ground to the man beside him.

"Yeah. Like me to you." Sousuke deadpanned.

Haru wasn't sure if he heard it right, so he asked, "What?"

"I'm attracted to you. It's not a big deal, though." Sousuke said nonchalantly.

This was not a love confession, that much Haru knew. But it was a confession and his heart was beating so fast. He wondered if Sousuke could see his heart pounding through his shirt. He deemed it was because this was the first time someone confessed something to him.

"For a person who doesn't like couples, you sure know a lot." Haru tried to dodge the topic. It was starting to circle around him and he was not quite sure if he was ready.

Sousuke huffed. "Pretty much Rin's fault. Like I said, it's not a big deal. Anyone could be attracted to someone without being romantic."

"Obviously." Haru actually learned three important points today. The first one was a given - attraction did not automatically equate to a person being romantic. Second, Yamazaki Sousuke was actually a huge talker. And third, Yamazaki Sousuke was attracted to him.

"Haru!" It was Makoto. Haru felt Makoto would be coming to fetch him anytime soon. He was right.

"Oi, what were you guys doing here? Sousuke, you haven't finished your cake!"

"Yes, mom. Coming." Sousuke snickered at Rin. He turned to Haru.

"Wanna go somewhere else after this?"

Haru stared at Sousuke, and back at the two standing in front of the cafe. During the time he and Sousuke had been outside, there still weren't many customers who went in. Haru didn't reply.

"You didn't come all the way here just to visit the cafe, did you?"

"If you wanted my company so badly, sure."

"Flattery won't get you anywhere, Nanase!"

.

.

.

.

.

It was a pain to ask permission from Makoto and Rin, mostly from Makoto, to stray from their usual Sunday plans. Even though Makoto was in a relationship now, it had not lessened his overprotectiveness over Haru. Haru thought Makoto was way worse than his mom, but it didn't bother him. It was nice to have someone as a friend but treated him as family. Finally, Makoto agreed to "hand over" Haru to Sousuke. He said they'd be back before dark, anyway.

"Has Rin ever brought you here?"

"No," was Haru's quick answer.

There was a sign, "No Entry", but it was probably meant for little children getting lost in that area, not for grown-up people like them. Sousuke simply pushed the small unlocked wooden gate. There was a stone pathway with small trees along the way. At the end of the stone path, a small lake and a bunch of wildflowers came to their sight. Haru obviously beamed at the sight of water, and he stripped right then and there.

"No, wait!" Sousuke's warning was a little too late. Haru had already submerged himself in the water, clothes piled on the grass. "Ugh." Sousuke sighed in defeat as he squatted nearby Haru and watched as he enjoyed himself in the water.

"You always do this, huh." There was no reply from Haru.

As if by instinct, Haru caught Sousuke off guard by pulling his good arm hard, forcing Sousuke to jump into the lake. There was a loud splash, as if all the water from the lake had been drained.

"I don't always do this." Haru snorted.

"Nanase!"

"There's some mud on your neck, Yamazaki."

"I'm going to kill you one day."

.

.

.

.

.

Haru looked around the dorm room. Sousuke and Rin's room was quite neat, just a few books on the desk which he deemed was Sousuke's, since Rin had always been a clean freak. He wouldn't leave any valuable or invaluable stuff on his desk. Save for some of the mud on the floor that got caught up in Sousuke's wet pants, the room was decent to live in.

"Rin's gonna kill me if he sees this." Sousuke dragged one of the rugs with his feet towards the wet mud on the floor. He stood on the rug for a second and walked to the closet to get a towel for himself and one for Haru as well.

"Lucky the dorm was near, but if it weren't, we'd have a big problem."

Haru just shrugged. Sousuke side-eyed him.

"Just gonna take a shower. You can go through Rin's clothes and see which fits." And with that, he left for the shower room.

This was some new development, Haru thought. Surprisingly, he and Sousuke were getting along well. He went through Rin's closet, apparently the one with a huge shark sticker on it. But truth be told, he would prefer Sousuke's clothes to Rin's, just to annoy him.

He was about to open Sousuke's closet when Sousuke suddenly peeked from the shower room. Haru looked at him from where he stood. Sousuke opened his mouth but no words came out, except for a faint, "Uh."

"What?" Haru asked.

"Wanna take a shower together?"

Haru was dumbfounded for a moment, unsure of what to say. His eyes gleamed with surprise. But he remembered that such things didn't seem to faze Sousuke. This was not a big deal for him. Should it be with him?

"Uh, never mind." Sousuke closed the shower room door.

Did Sousuke sense his confusion or uneasiness? He was not sure, but at the sudden drop of the topic, Haru felt sad. Haru knew that this would perhaps be the beginning of his doom. A person should not go with another person just because they're both alone, or both bored. With that thought, he could almost hear Rin say in the background, "That's true, Haru! People should not be obsessed by the thought of just being with someone. Two people should be in love!"

Haru shook his head. He and Sousuke were the same. Feelings like love didn't really bother them. Sousuke didn't like couples, but embraced the fact that he could be attracted to a person. Haru knew well he didn't like being all alone. As long as they both stood on the same ground, nothing disastrous would happen.

It was just another shower session, just like what he usually had with Makoto, Nagisa, and Rei after swim practice.

Right?

He found himself standing in front of the shower room. Sousuke saw his shadow from the inside and opened the door for him.

"Yo."


End file.
